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Arsenal: Are the Gunners Drifting or Steaming?

To say this season has been one of ups and downs for Arsenal would be an understatement. The latest exit from the Champions League was yet another example of how the Gunners have stalled at crucial points in the season. A poor performance at home against Monaco in the first leg gave the side too much to do in the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night and, ultimately, led to Arsenal again being ousted in the round of 16.

However, with the Champions League now no longer a concern, Arsenal only have the Premier League to focus on but could they cause a last-minute upset? Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has not ruled out the Gunners.

Although the gap between Arsenal and Chelsea is by no means insurmountable, the Blues currently have a game in hand over their London rivals and that, for the bookmakers, is huge. Although there could still be a few twists and turns before the close of the season, many of the leading bookmakers have Chelsea as significant betting favourites.

Most odds setters have Chelsea as 1/12 for the Premier League title, while Arsenal are currently drifting at roughly 20/1. Drifting essentially means that the bookmakers are not confident that Arsenal could snatch the title if they were given the opportunity. However, are things as bad as the odds would suggest? Is there any value in using the online Bet Mover app to stake some cash on Arsenal causing an upset?

Being able to score two goals against an extremely defensive Monaco side on their own turf was certainly a testament to the side's attacking prowess. Although they were able to secure the vital third goal to avoid elimination, many commentators were impressed by a resurgent Arsenal. Danny Welbeck put in a consistent performance and Theo Walcott looked like the player of old at times. This suggests Arsenal could be steaming (improving) towards the close of the season.

If you decided to use an app to place a bet on Arsenal if the price drifted even further (something the software can do thanks to a range of customisable auto-betting functions), it could certainly be profitable. Should you place a lot of stock in Arsenal winning the league? Probably not. However, there were a lot of positives to be taken from the Monaco match.